Former Arizona Diamondbacks closer Byung-Hyun Kim has come out of retirement and agreed to terms on a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants, said his agent, Paul Cobbe. He will try to win a job in the team's bullpen in spring training.

Kim, 31, has a 54-60 record with a 4.42 ERA and 86 saves in nine seasons with Arizona, Boston, Colorado and Florida. His best season came in 2002, when he went 8-3 with a 2.04 ERA and 36 saves for the Diamondbacks.

Left-hander Horacio Ramirez also received a non-roster invite to spring training.

Kim is probably best remembered for two nightmarish outings in the 2001 World Series, when he allowed late home runs to Tino Martinez, Derek Jeter and Scott Brosius in back-to-back losses to the Yankees. Arizona came back to win the Series in seven games.

Kim, a sidearmer, went to spring training with Pittsburgh in 2008, but hasn't pitched in affiliated ball for two years. Cobbe said he spent much of his time "re-charging'' in his native South Korea.

"He's evaluated coming out of retirement for a while, but now he feels like he's in a position physically to be successful,'' Cobbe said.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Giants have agreed to terms on minor league contracts with right-hander Byung-Hyun Kim and lefty Horacio Ramirez, and both received non-roster invites to spring training.

The 31-year-old Kim hasn't pitched in the majors since spending 2007 with Colorado, Arizona and Florida. He owns a career record of 54-60 with a 4.42 ERA in nine big league seasons.

While with Arizona, Kim gave up the tying home runs in Games 4 and 5 of 2001 World Series against the New York Yankees and the winning drive in Game 4 to Derek Jeter. The Diamondbacks won in seven games.

BRADENTON, Fla. -- After a wave of roster moves and decisions on Wednesday, the Pirates' hazy bullpen picture moved a few steps closer to clarity.

Knowing that they had to essentially make a decision on Byung-Hyun Kim's future by Wednesday afternoon, the Pirates gave him word that they would trigger the release clause in his contract and unconditionally release the 29-year-old right-hander.

The Pirates also gave lefty Juan Perez his unconditional release and reassigned veteran righty Jaret Wright to Minor League camp. And, in another move to solidify their bullpen, the Pirates acquired Tyler Yates from the Braves for Minor League pitcher Todd Redmond.

After Wednesday's game, the Pirates released Hector Carrasco and Masumi Kuwata announced his retirement, further dwindling the number of relievers competing to make the club.

Kim's one-month tenure with the club was arguably the biggest disappointment in what has turned out to be an impressive spring for a number of the relief pitchers lobbying for the final bullpen spots.

When the Pirates signed Kim to an $850,000 contract back on Feb. 24, the hope was that the righty would be able to bring another dimension to the bullpen with his unique arm angle and years of experience.

At the time, general manager Neal Huntington reiterated that Kim would still have to earn a spot on the team. And Kim did anything but that this spring.

Kim arrived in camp behind in his throwing program, and he wasn't able to make his first appearance until March 10. He struggled from the outset.

In his first four innings of work, Kim allowed eight runs. He rebounded to pitch a scoreless inning of relief on Sunday, but by then, he had fallen behind the rest of the pack.

"It was tough, because we knew he had a late start getting going," Huntington said. "He just didn't pitch well. His last outing was his best outing, but we're in a situation where we've had some young guys have some good springs."

By releasing Kim before 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the team will owe him just $300,000 of his contract.

"We thought he could come in here and compete to make our club, but in that competition, he was outpitched by some other guys," Huntington said. "And the addition of Tyler Yates made it that much easier of a decision. Obviously, it's a financial hit, but we're trying to take the right 12 [pitchers] north."

As for Wright, the decision to remain with the organization is his. He has an escape clause in his contract that, if triggered, will allow him to become a free agent. If he opts not to exercise it, Wright can accept a spot at Triple-A Indianapolis to start the season.

The Pirates' decision to hand Perez his unconditional release was driven by the organization's need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Yates. At the outset of Spring Training, Perez was not among the top group of contenders for one of the final bullpen spots. He then tore a ligament in his left elbow on March 7.

Since the club was unsure of how long Perez's recovery would take, Huntington said that the Pirates decided to take a tougher business approach and release Perez now rather than put him on the 60-day disabled list.

Huntington strongly suggested that Franquelis Osoria, who is out of options on his contract, will join Yates as two of the final four relievers on the Opening Day roster. That leaves three pitchers -- Evan Meek, Sean Burnett and Phil Dumatrait -- left in camp vying for the final two spots.

Burnett has had the most dominant spring of the five, but he could be the odd man out if the Pirates take Dumatrait and decide against having four lefties in the 'pen. Left-handers John Grabow and Damaso Marte are already locks. Burnett has not given up a hit in his last eight appearances.

Dumatrait would seem to have an upper hand at one of the two spots, considering the Pirates have stretched his appearances out this spring to build him up for use as a potential long reliever. He is also out of options and would likely have been lost on waivers if the Pirates had designated him for assignment.

The decision concerning Meek could be the most difficult. The hard-throwing right-hander has shown to have a power arm this spring, and since the team acquired him in December via the Rule 5 Draft, he must remain on the Pirates' 25-man roster the entire season or else be offered back to the Rays for $25,000.

The question now simply becomes whether Meek, who has never thrown above the Double-A level, is ready for the big leagues.

Meek had one final tryout so to speak when he pitched two innings in Wednesday's game. Though erratic with his control at times -- the right-hander issued three walks in those two frames -- he limited Detroit to just one run.

"He did really good damage control," manager John Russell said. "It's one of the things you have to learn how to do. Hopefully he's not in that situation very often, but pitching his way out of it was a good learning experience."

The final decision on those last two bullpen spots is likely to come on Thursday.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Yankees at the plate: With 13 hits through the fourth inning, the Yankees had five starters with a multihit game by the end of the night. Jorge Posada finished with three hits and three RBIs, two of which came courtesy of his second-inning homer. Bobby Abreu had a 2-for-4 night with two RBIs and two runs scored, while both Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui had two hits and one RBI apiece. Infielder Nick Green put New York ahead to stay in the eighth with a towering two-run homer over the left-field wall.

Pirates at the plate: With the wind steadily blowing out to left field, Nate McLouth began a 2-for-3 night with a leadoff homer in the first, his second of the spring. McLouth later led off the third with a double and scored on Freddy Sanchez's one-out single. Ryan Doumit and Chris Gomez each knocked a solo homer as well.

Yankees on the mound: Yankees starter Phil Hughes didn't fare so well for the second straight appearance, leaving Wednesday's game after allowing seven hits and seven runs (six earned) in four innings. And after surrendering just one homer in his previous three games, Hughes gave up three in his first time through the Pirates order. Lefty Billy Traber gave up one hit and two unearned runs in an inning of relief, while LaTroy Hawkins made his sixth straight scoreless spring appearance.

Pirates on the mound: It was not an outing to remember for Matt Morris, who gave up 13 hits and eight runs in four innings of work. Morris had originally been slated to throw five innings on Wednesday. In stark contrast to Morris' outing, lefty Phil Dumatrait was once again impressive, throwing two hitless innings of relief on a night when New York runners swarmed the basepaths. Byung-Hun Kim picked up the loss, giving up four runs in the eighth.

Grapefruit League records: Yankees 10-7-2; Pirates 8-13.

Up next for the Yankees: Right-hander Ian Kennedy will get the call as the Yankees head to Dunedin, Fla., for a 1:05 p.m. ET game with the Blue Jays at Knology Park on Thursday. The heart of the Yankees lineup -- Derek Jeter, Abreu, Rodriguez and Jason Giambi -- will remain behind with the day off. Toronto will counter with right-hander Brett Cecil.Up next for the Pirates: It will be a quick turnaround for the Pirates after Wednesday's night game, as they will make the drive to Clearwater, Fla., early on Thursday to face the Phillies for the fifth and final time this spring season. Ian Snell will take the mound for the Pirates in his first start since signing a multiyear contract and being named the club's Opening Day starter. Also scheduled to pitch for Pittsburgh are Evan Meek, Jaret Wright and Franquelis Osoria.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Though he entered camp late and behind on his throwing program, Byung-Hyun Kim gave the Pirates every reason to believe that he will be a viable bullpen option coming out of Spring Training.

After serving up a first-pitch home run to Phillies slugger Ryan Howard on Monday, Kim settled in and recorded three straight outs in his one inning of relief. The appearance was the first for the 29-year-old South Korean this spring.

"[I was] very excited about it," pitching coach Jeff Andrews said afterward. "I talked to [catcher Ryan] Doumit about what he saw and he said the ball was really light and he liked his slider. And he showed more velocity than he did in his [side sessions].

"I would have thought he'd be further behind, but not after I saw his velocity."

After throwing batting practice on Friday, Kim had said he was concerned that he was still not feeling game-ready. However, his assessment after Monday's game was that he is right on track.

"I feel pretty good," said Kim, speaking in broken English. "Just the first pitch. The other ones were pretty good with location. I have to see more hitters. My stuff was OK."

As the Pirates begin to piece together a versatile bullpen -- which still potentially has four open spots in it -- Kim provides an intriguing option. His sidearm delivery and effectiveness against right-handers has been noted by Andrews and manager John Russell as something that could be extremely beneficial out of the 'pen.

The Pirates signed Kim to an $850,000 Minor League deal back on Feb. 24. Only $300,000 of that contract is guaranteed, and Kim does have an opt-out clause in his contract if he does not make the team out of Spring Training.

General manager Neal Huntington did make it clear when the signing was announced that Kim was by no means a shoo-in for a roster spot. However, with the Pirates needing two and likely at least three additional right-handers for the bullpen, the veteran Kim appears to be in line as one of the top candidates.

"The guy's been around," Russell said. "He adds a different dimension for you. The different things he can come with, the different speeds. He's got some life to his fastball still. It gives you a different look in the bullpen."

Kim is scheduled to make his next one-inning appearance on Thursday, when the Pirates face the Yankees.

Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

BRADENTON, Fla. -- General manager Neal Huntington confirmed that the Pirates are looking to add veteran right-hander Byung-Hyun Kim to their camp this spring. However, despite a report that Kim has already agreed to terms with the club, all Huntington would confirm is that the two sides are deep in negotiations.

"There are still some things we have to work through," Huntington said. "We are cautiously optimistic."

Huntington wouldn't expand on details regarding the discussions between both sides and wouldn't comment on whether the team was offering a Major League contract or Minor League deal to the 29-year-old Kim.

However, earlier this week, Kim's representatives told the Giants that he was not interested in signing a Minor League contract.

The addition of Kim would give the Pirates yet another veteran option as the team looks to square away the final pieces of its bullpen. Though Kim has pitched as a starter in the past, he would be considered only for a relief role with Pittsburgh.

Kim split time between the Rockies, Marlins and Diamondbacks in 2007, going 10-8 with a 6.08 ERA. The nine-year veteran made 28 appearances (22 starts) and struck out 107 in 118 1/3 total innings.

Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Arizona designated Kim for assignment Wednesday, a day after he retired only one batter in a 14-5 loss to the Florida Marlins.

Manager Bob Melvin pulled Kim after 17 pitches. The right-hander allowed four runs, three earned, to boost his ERA in two starts with the Diamondbacks to 23.63.

"We weren't getting results there, and we had to make a decision," Melvin said. "He pitched a couple of games for us and didn't do very well in either game. The position we're in now, we have to have better results in that spot."

Kim, Arizona's former closer, was reacquired Aug. 3 after the Marlins waived him.

The NL West-leading Diamondbacks also designated for assignment left-hander Joe Kennedy and placed infielder Chad Tracy on the 15-day disabled list with right knee tendinitis. Recalled from Triple-A Tucson were right-handers Dustin Nippert and Jailen Peguero and outfielder Jeff Salazar.

Kennedy had a 20.25 ERA in three relief appearances with Arizona after being claimed off waivers from Oakland on Aug. 4.

"You take some chances and try to add some guys you think could help and have had some success," Melvin said. "If it doesn't work out, you have to move on."

The Diamondbacks have 10 days to trade, release or send down Kim and Kennedy.

Tracy has been hobbled despite receiving a cortisone shot, and the Diamondbacks decided extended rest was the best treatment. He's batting .261 in 75 games.

"If we can't run him out there for consecutive games, the position we're in right now, it's difficult to deal with," Melvin said. "Hopefully in the 15 days we can alleviate this problem and get him back at a key time."

Nippert and Peguero provide reinforcements in the bullpen. Salazar, who made a sensational over-the-fence catch in right field for Arizona earlier this season, gives the team a fourth outfielder.

Yusmeiro Petit will likely be recalled to take Kim's place in the rotation Sunday at Atlanta. Petit was 2-3 with a 4.23 ERA in seven starts with Arizona before being sent to Tucson.AP NEWSThe Associated Press News Service

The Diamondbacks claimed the South Korean right-hander off waivers from the Florida Marlins on Friday.

Kim, who struck out a career-high 10 against the Rockies on Wednesday, was 6-5 with a 4.63 ERA with the Marlins and Rockies. Florida acquired him from Colorado on May 13, in a trade for reliever Jorge Julio.

Kim, 28, spent his first four-plus seasons as a reliever in Arizona, saving 70 games from 1999-2002. Kim was the closer for the Diamondbacks in their World Series championship season of 2001, surrendering two memorable game-blowing home runs to New York at Yankee Stadium before Arizona returned home to win the final two games.

Kim fell out of favor after the team put him in the starting rotation in 2003, and was traded on May 29, 2003 to the Boston Red Sox for Shea Hillenbrand.

The Diamondbacks also claimed infielder Jeff Cirillo off waivers from the Minnesota Twins on Friday.

To make room, Arizona moved Randy Johnson from the 60-day disabled list and designated infielder Brian Barden for assignment.

The Marlins started Friday's game against the Houston Astros with 24 players and will make a roster move on Saturday to replace Kim.AP NEWSThe Associated Press News Service

For league average, think your Jake Westbrooks, Cory Lidles, and Kevin Millwoods of the world.

Jason Johnson - The righthander turns 33 this October. Giving him $3.5MM this year wasn't a bad gamble by the Indians, but it didn't work out. After a 5.96 ERA in 14 starts for the Tribe, he was designated for assignment in June. The next day Johnson was traded to Boston. Two bad starts earned him a trip to Pawtucket. He got the call again and has at least shown promise in his last two efforts. Previously, Johnson was a league average 200 inning guy who kept the ball on the ground. If the price is right he can be a decent fifth starter.

Byung-Hyun Kim - Kim makes $1.5MM this season. I'm not sure of his option price for 2007, but I think the Rockies will exercise it. The 27 year-old Korean has kept his walk and home run rates reasonable while striking out a respectable 7.5 batters per nine. He's made 17 starts already this year after making 22 in 2005. Kim makes a good #4 in most rotations.

Cory Lidle - The new Yankee and former replacement player makes a reasonable $3.3MM this year. He throws groundballs and has good control. Lidle has allowed a lot of home runs but has played in hitters' parks. He's another league-average innings muncher. A nice stint with New York might earn the 34 year-old more than he deserves.

Ted Lilly - The southpaw is making a bit more than $4MM this year. He'll turn 30 this winter as he hits free agency for the first time. The California native has control problems and gopheritis but a very healthy strikeout rate. Ailments this year: stiff neck, shoulder tightness, and back problems. Last year: shoulder blade discomfort, biceps tendinitis, shoulder pain, and a perceived lack of intensity. Any team signing Lilly needs a good medical staff.

Greg Maddux - Will the Professor play another year? He'll turn 41 next spring. He'll still a league-average innings guy who never misses a start. That might not be worth $9MM but it's plenty valuable. He'd be a fit with any West Coast team and could even return to the Cubs. One more season should push him past Steve Carlton into the top-ten all-time for wins.

Jason Marquis - Marquis will turn 28 soon. His 5.68 ERA doesn't look pretty. Still, subtract a couple of save-the-bullpen thrashings and he has a 4.46 ERA. That's about normal for Marquis. However, his strikeout rate has plummeted to a dangerously low level the past two seasons and he's prone to the longball. I'm not sure Marquis can provide even league-average work. He'll make upwards of $5MM annually.